'White Only' Pool Sign 'Decorative,' Landlord Claims

A landlord accused of posting a racist sign outside a swimming pool is appealing a ruling that she was in violation of anti-discrimination laws, and has reached out to the media to offer a defense for her decision to display the sign.

Jamie Hein allegedly posted the sign (pictured above) that states "Public Swimming Pool, White Only" in the spring at a duplex in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to various media reports, witnesses have said that the landlord wanted to deter a black teenager visiting her parents at the duplex from entering the pool because Hein was worried that chemicals in the female teen's hair would make the pool "cloudy."

If that takes the form of prohibiting black teenagers from entering pools due to hair products that they are wearing, Hein may have to adopt a new tactic in the future: The sign reportedly has been stolen since the commission's ruling.

With housing prices down and mortgage rates at all-time lows, the real estate market is ripe for investors looking to cash in on the one sector that's booming: rental demand. As a recent Move.com report suggests, college towns make the perfect fit for would-be landlords: Growing enrollment means demand for off-campus housing will only increase. Pair that stability with an expected 5% rise in rental rates, and university towns emerge as very promising real estate investment territory. Here are Move.com's 10 top towns for real estate investors.

Nashville encompasses 16 colleges and universities, including top-ranked Vanderbilt University. Many of the school dorms are filled to capacity, according to Move's report, forcing a significant number of students to seek off-campus housing.

The No. 1 most searched city in the country on Realtor.com in June, Chicago hosts a number of universities including No. 12 ranked University of Chicago. The difference between mortgage and rental rates creates the potential for significant profit margins.

Home to the No. 1 ranked university Johns Hopkins University Baltimore's median list price is fairly high on the list. But those prices are falling. In June, the city was the 19th most searched market on Realtor.com.

South Bend has 12 colleges and universities, whose rental rates provide healthy profit margins. But perhaps the biggest draw of the place is that its home price market appears to be on the upswing, even as so many others in the country continue to limp along.

Syracuse, located in upstate New York, has a number of local colleges and universities with students who must appreciate the low rental rates there. At $154,900, its median listing price is below the national average of $189,900.